Congressional District 48 is one of the last true battlegrounds in California, and Democrats see it as a prime pickup opportunity in their crusade to win back the House this November. Marni von Wilpert is vying for the seat, with the backing of Senator Adam Schiff and former Vice President Kamala Harris. The San Diego City Councilmember joined NBC 7 Political Reporter on Politically Speaking this week. <\/p>\n
A transcript of the conversation is below.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Safchik: It’s the local race receiving the lion’s share of national attention because Congressional District 48 could flip blue and give Democrats a viable path to winning back the House. But that is no easy task. Even after the district was redrawn under prop 50. Democrat Marni von Wilbert is here with me now in this final push to Election day. Election month? How are you feeling?<\/p>\n
von Wilpert: I’m so excited to be here. Thank you for having me. No, we are less than 40 days away from this national election, and I’m hearing more and more enthusiasm for Democrats to win the House.<\/p>\n
Safchik: I asked you back in May before the primary, what one thing you would fix about district 48 was, and you said, I’m going to stand up to the chaos and destruction of Donald Trump. Do you stand by that answer?<\/p>\n
von Wilpert: Yes. I am running for Congress to stand up to Donald Trump and take our country back to end the war in Iraq, and that’s costing us so much money and to lower prices and the cost of living for everyday Americans in my congressional district.<\/p>\n
Safchik: How do you intend to balance creating headwinds for the Trump administration with making life here more affordable?<\/p>\n
von Wilpert: The first thing we need to do is vote for the War Powers Resolution in Congress and end the war in Iran. Donald Trump has spent $38 billion, and we’ve lost at least 18 servicemembers’ lives to this costly war. Meanwhile, what do we have to show for it? More than $6 a gallon at the pump at the gas station. It’s time to stand up to Donald Trump and actually work on lowering the cost of living. When I’m there, I’m going to vote to end these costly tariffs that are raising our grocery prices. I want to make sure that we’re actually funding affordable health care, bringing down prescription drug prices, and lowering the cost of housing for everybody.<\/p>\n
Safchik: Democrats are campaigning on lowering gas prices. If you’re elected, how do you deliver on that?<\/p>\n
von Wilpert: The first thing we do is stop what is causing the problem, which is ending Donald Trump’s forever war in the Middle East. The day he declared war in Iran, we saw gas prices shoot through the roof because of the closure of the Strait of Hormuz. You know, I served in the United States Peace Corps abroad, in sub-Saharan Africa. I know the power of foreign diplomacy. I want to restore USAID and our foreign service. That is what America should be doing, is being a leader on the national stage, not a warmonger, with continued costly wars. And when I’m in Congress, I’m going to vote to rein Donald Trump in and actually make America work for the American people again.<\/p>\n
Safchik: When I spoke to your opponent, he admitted the war was partially to blame for the high gas prices. But he also pointed the finger at California. Do you agree that this state bears some responsibility for lowering gas prices?<\/p>\n
von Wilpert: The main increase for the cost of gas prices is Donald Trump’s war in Iran in the Middle East disruption? We know that. You know, and here in California, I don’t think we should suffer because of Donald Trump’s decisions. You know, there’s always things we need to do to lower rates for people here in my congressional district on the San Diego City Council. I voted no on utility rate increases. The water department doesn’t need a water rate increase. The water department should do better. I voted no on the tracks. The trash tax every step of the way. We don’t need to be raising costs for our businesses, for our residents. And I’ll continue to vote no on cost increases when I get to Congress.<\/p>\n
Safchik: We have new polling data that shows the economy is the top issue for voters. I’m sure that’s not a surprise, but how do you address that while continuing to legislate on the issues that I know matter to you, like reproductive health care or gun regulation? Yeah.<\/p>\n
von Wilpert: Honestly, the economy is tied to so much of what we face every day, including our cost of health care. You know, if people are making more at their jobs because we raise the minimum wage, it doesn’t matter if they’re paying increased health care premiums, which is exactly what we’re seeing happen under the congressional Republicans and Donald Trump. You know, my opponent, Jim Desmond, already voted at the county of San Diego not to fight the health care cuts. He was the only no vote to fight the health care cuts in Washington, D.C.. So if you can’t count on Jim Desmond to protect your health care in San Diego, you cannot count on him to protect your health care in Washington, DC.<\/p>\n
Safchik: Do you feel like you’re just walking the Democratic Party line when it comes to issues related to the economy? Or do you have any novel ideas that are unique to Marni von Wilpert and District 48?<\/p>\n
von Wilpert: Yes. So one of the things I hear a lot about is the cost of housing. And, you know, and we have people who are working hard, our teachers, our firefighters are police officers who can’t afford to serve the cities in the areas they live because they can’t afford to live here. So when I first got elected, I started the very first teacher down payment assistance program. I worked with a private developer and got private dollars for $1 million seed money to start doing down payment assistance grants for teachers in our public schools. And I’m now getting selfies from teachers in front of their new front doors, holding their front door keys, saying Marni, I\u2019m staying in San Diego Unified classrooms because we can finally afford to live in San Diego. You know, I also work with our senior citizens in the AARP to to write the first ever grocery pricing transparency law, which will require grocery stores in San Diego if they advertise a coupon for $3 off the price of eggs or milk, they can no longer force you on to a smartphone to download a digital coupon. They need to have in-store coupons or alternatives available so everyone gets a lower price of food. These are the creative ways I’ve been working in government to lower the cost of living. But meanwhile, my opponent, Jim Desmond, has pledged his loyalty to Donald Trump and all the chaos in our economy that’s created.<\/p>\n
Safchik: I know you’ve been beating the drum on health care. What systemic changes do you think need to occur?\u00a0<\/p>\n
von Wilpert: Well, on day one, when I get to Congress, I will be voting to overturn what I call the big ugly bill and completely eliminate all of the cuts to health care that Donald Trump has put in place so that he can give tax breaks to billionaires. Instead, we need to make sure that people can afford to see a doctor. We need to make sure insurance companies are not the ones making decisions, that patients and doctors are the ones making decisions. The price of prescription drugs is too high. You know, when I was a deputy city attorney here in San Diego, I got to sue the opioid manufacturers for the addiction they’ve caused on our streets. And I got millions back for health care here. I plan to do the same in Congress. Stand up to big drug companies. Stand up to these health care companies, and make sure it’s patients and doctors who get to make the decisions about their own health care.<\/p>\n
Safchik: You’ve supported some of the symbolic votes that the San Diego City Council has taken on the issue of immigration, like San Diego as a sanctuary city. How do you translate that into legislative action if you’re elected?<\/p>\n
von Wilpert: So on the San Diego City Council, we voted to prohibit Ice from coming onto city properties without a judicial warrant. Same thing. We’d hold the same standard we hold our police officers to. You know, what Ice is doing in our communities is chaos and lawlessness. It is not law and order. What I want to see is a strong, secure national border that prevents drugs and bad actors and human trafficking, but promotes lawful immigration and our binational economy and our cultural exchange. We need a pathway to citizenship that doesn’t cost millions of dollars or decades of people’s lives. Our dreamers, our DACA students, should have been citizens years ago. And I want to see a compassionate, lawful immigration system and an end to this chaos that ICE reigns in our communities.<\/p>\n
Safchik: What do the next two years look like if Democrats win back the House?<\/p>\n
von Wilpert: First of all, we stop the bleeding. When Democrats win back the House, Congress will be an equal branch of government again. The white House was never supposed to be the end all, be all of our government. And instead we don’t have to rubber stamp what’s happening. We can stand up to Donald Trump. First thing, we’re going to do is end the costly war in Iran and bring taxpayer dollars back home. The national deficit, over $40 trillion now, is out of control, and Donald Trump’s war is making it worse. We need to instead spend American taxpayer dollars on American people. Social security needs to be funded for our senior citizens who have worked their whole lives for this benefit. Our Medicare system needs to be better, so seniors aren’t worrying about where they’re going to get their health care in their elder years. Our schools need to be funded. These are the things that taxpayer dollars should be used for. Not another forever war in the Middle East.<\/p>\n
Safchik: How do you juggle accountability and oversight with prioritizing policy?<\/p>\n
von Wilpert: So I used to be a prosecutor. I prosecuted corporations that broke the law. As a deputy city attorney, holding lawbreakers accountable is incredibly important to making sure that they don’t get to do it again. You know what Donald Trump has done as the most corrupt president in United States history is making billions of dollars off of the American people. You know, it’s not okay that people are coming to offer him money for his gilded ballroom and then getting government contracts from the federal government later on. We need to know the extent of the corruption and have oversight hearings, so we could put rules in place to prevent any other president from taking advantage of the American public.<\/p>\n
Safchik: People have some gripes with the San Diego City Council right now. Are there any decisions made during your tenure on City Council, whether you voted for them or not, that you wish had gone differently?<\/p>\n
von Wilpert: I mean, the trash tax has been a disaster, honestly, and I voted no on the trash fee since its inception. But the citizens of San Diego deserve better. You know, I’ve already called for an audit on why the trash fee wasn’t properly done. I’ve already reached out to all of my constituents to say, we’re going to help you, even though I voted no on the trash fee. We will help you figure it out because the government should work for you. You know, when I first got elected, I flipped a district red to blue in 2020. I am a strong Democrat, but the day I got elected, I knew I represented everyone. It doesn’t matter to me whose campaign yard sign you had in your front yard. I am now your representative and I’m here to listen and govern for everyone. And that’s how I’m going to be in Congress.<\/p>\n
Safchik: Why should people trust that you are suited to vote on issues of national consequence, including the budget, when they see all of this turmoil at City Hall over the last several years?<\/p>\n
von Wilpert: I’ve actually been a fiscal watchdog at City Hall. I broke it with my own party to vote no on water rate increases. I’ve broken with my own party to vote no on trash fee increases. I voted no on buying the 101 AC Street skyscraper scandal. I’ve actually been at City Hall voting no on passing on the tax and costs to my residents, and that’s what I’m going to do in Congress is be a fiscal hawk there as well. We have to rein in national spending because the budget deficit is out of control.<\/p>\n
Safchik: Have you felt the need to distance yourself from any Democratic policies in order to win over independents in your district?<\/p>\n
von Wilpert: I’m running this race as Marni von Wilpert and I have a wonderful record to stand on. You know, when I first got elected, I took on something that happens too often in American society, which was a mass shooting. We had a mass shooting in the downtown Gaslamp in April of 2021, and I found out the shooter perpetrated his crime with a ghost gun. So I wrote the first law in California banning the sale of untraceable ghost guns. You know, when I found out that the city water department was in a billing fiasco and residents were being overcharged, I took action. And for three years, I worked on that problem. And finally, we have fixed the billing problems at the city’s water department, because that’s what residents deserve, is someone in government who cares, who listens, and who takes action to make things better.<\/p>\n
Safchik: This week you had Kamala Harris, former vice president, stumping for you right here in San Diego. Why do you think she chose your campaign to throw her weight behind?<\/p>\n
So Congressional District 48 voted for Kamala Harris by nearly four points over Donald Trump.<\/p>\n
Safchik: The new congressional district 48.<\/p>\n
von Wilpert: The new congressional district I’m running in. So. And she has come to San Diego to highlight my race because we know this congressional district is one of the top five seats in the nation. We need to flip red to blue for Democrats to gain control of the House of Representatives and then finally have some accountability on this Trump administration. I was honored that the former vice president came to campaign with me. We had a great rally with all of our supporters and volunteers. And, you know, I’m running this campaign the old fashioned way. We’re going door to door. We’re meeting voters in backyards, at community centers. I have been to every corner of this district, from Palm Springs to Temecula to Escondido to Anza-Borrego. I bought myself new tires for my car for Christmas this year. But meeting people and hearing what they need from the government is the way we’re going to win this race.<\/p>\n
Safchik: Some Democrats in other parts of the country, Iowa, Alaska, have actually said no, thank you. They’ve demurred. They’ve declined Harris’s public support. What was your calculus in deciding to appear alongside her?<\/p>\n
von Wilpert: Well, Congressional District 48 here in Southern California voted for Kamala Harris for president. They clearly don’t want the chaos and corruption of Donald Trump anymore. And so I was honored to have someone of national importance come and help. You know, Adam Schiff, our U.S. senator, has been helping me. Rob Bonta, are you our attorney general in California has been helping me because we all know how critical this race is. If we don’t flip this San Diego and Riverside County seat red to blue, it’s unlikely that Democrats will win control of the House and finally will have a check and balance on the Trump administration.<\/p>\n
Safchik: Are you really trying to rally your base and encourage Democratic turnout? Do you see that as your path to victory?<\/p>\n
von Wilpert: I am working to get every single vote I can in this district. You know, I’m showing up as is who I’ve always been as a public servant. You know, I’ve spent my career in public service. I served in the Peace Corps in sub-Saharan Africa during the Aids crisis. I then became a civil rights lawyer in Mississippi. And you better believe I’m going to vote to protect voting rights when I get to Congress. I worked for President Obama as a labor lawyer protecting workers rights, and then came home to be a deputy city attorney. I’ve actually never worked at a private law firm, to my father’s chagrin. But instead, you know, public service is always in my North Star. And that’s why I’m taking this next step to serve our country on the national stage.<\/p>\n
Safchik: If you win this election, you will be speaking for a lot of people on the other side of the aisle. How will you represent them? How will you make sure their voices are still heard?<\/p>\n
von Wilpert: I’m really excited to get to work and reach across the aisle as much as I can. You know, at the end of the day, we represent the American people. And here in San Diego, I’m a strong Democrat, but I’ve reached across the aisle here when we saw the opioid companies ravaging our communities and leading to overdose deaths. I partnered with Republican Joel Anderson on the San Diego County Board of Supervisors. He and I stood side by side at press conferences, working together to combat the opioid epidemic. When I’m in Congress, I’m going to work side by side with anybody who will help me get the resources I need to bring back to this district. You know, we have crumbling infrastructure. We have veterans who need to be served by the Veterans Administration. And I don’t care if you’re Republican or Democrat. If you’re willing to help our veterans, I will partner with you.<\/p>\n
Safchik: Your opponent is endorsed by President Trump. We’ve just learned that the speaker of the House, Mike Johnson, is going to be stumping for him in Riverside County. We just talked about Harris stumping for you. What does that tell you about how the parties perceive the stakes of this race?<\/p>\n
von Wilpert: So Jim Desmond is endorsed by Donald Trump, and he is going to be another yes man for Donald Trump if he gets elected. You know, on the other hand, I will be standing up and fighting back. I will be fighting for the American people stopping the corruption in Washington, DC. We need to ban stock trading among Congress members. And if the government shuts down and our federal workers, like the TSA workers at our airports, aren’t getting a paycheck. Congress members shouldn’t get a paycheck, either, until the government is open again. These are the things we should be focusing on, not building golden ballrooms and having UFC fights on the white House lawn. I mean, government is serious. People are depending on us, and I’m going to fight every day for the people who send me into office.<\/p>\n
Safchik: I do want to ask. This district is sort of the epitome of a gerrymandered district. I heard it described by someone saying, it looks like Picasso drew a district or painted a district. People don’t like gerrymandering. Poll after poll shows that obviously voters here approve this, but are you worried that could come back to haunt you at all?<\/p>\n
von Wilpert: So I believe that voters should be picking their representatives and not the other way around. I would like to see a nationwide ban on gerrymandering, but until the playing field is even, I understood why California voted for Prop 50. Texas was trying to redistrict and give more seats. Donald Trump. So we had to stand up and fight back. When I get to Congress, I would be happy to support a national ban on gerrymandering so that that’s not what we focus on. Instead, we should focus on getting the most qualified people elected. And only when we deliver results should we be reelected by our constituents.<\/p>\n
Safchik: What are you doing to get voters excited about you and not just the prospect of defeating your opponent or a referendum on Donald Trump?<\/p>\n
von Wilpert: So to win this race, I can’t just be against Donald Trump. I have to be for a better future for this country and show people what I’m going to focus on. You know, the first thing I’m going to do is vote to end this war in Iran, which is draining the taxpayer dollars for another foreign war that’s getting us nowhere and instead is increasing the cost of our gasoline. Second, I am going to work hard to restore affordable health care. We’ve already seen 30 Planned Parenthood clinics closing across the nation because of the big ugly bill prohibiting them from charging Medicaid for things like cervical cancer exams, breast cancer screenings. We cannot be a country that says we’re going to close the doors of doctors offices on you. We have to be a country that says you get to have access to health care so that you can go to school, you can go to work. You can thrive in this country. And that’s what I’m going to focus on. You know, I’m very public about the fact that I was diagnosed with early stage breast cancer in the middle of this congressional campaign. And I spent days and hours at the doctor’s offices and hospital lobbies thinking about how lucky I was that I got my mammogram, my biopsies, and my surgery without having to wonder if I could afford the care that was about to save my life. But millions of Americans will not have the same opportunity if we don’t fight and take our country back. The person who wins my electoral seat will have the direct power to vote on who gets access to healthcare in this country and who does not. Jim Desmond already voted for the County of San Diego not to fight for health care, where every day I’ve spent standing up to fight for access to doctors and hospitals. And that’s what I’m going to do in Congress.<\/p>\n
Safchik: Obviously very personal for you. Thank you for being vulnerable with us. And I want to end on what your messages to disaffected voters, to voters who might be disillusioned by partisanship or the political climate right now, what do you say to them?<\/p>\n
von Wilpert: The power to vote is the one power that we really have in this country. And if we don’t use it, we’re going to lose it. There’s currently an administration trying to take away our voices at the voting booth. And if we want a better Congress, we got to get better people elected. I can’t do this without you. I need everyone to turn out and vote. And I promise that when I get there, I’m going to fight every day, as I have been my whole career in public service to fight for this country.<\/p>\n
Safchik: Thank you so much for being here. Just a month to go.<\/p>\n
von Wilpert: Thank you.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Congressional District 48 is one of the last true battlegrounds in California, and Democrats see it as a…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":482229,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[28],"tags":[38024,7257,13,74,76,75],"class_list":["post-482228","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-san-diego","tag-decision-2026","tag-politically-speaking","tag-politics","tag-san-diego","tag-san-diego-headlines","tag-san-diego-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/482228","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=482228"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/482228\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/482229"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=482228"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=482228"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=482228"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}